When the Light burns
by UnchosenSavior
Summary: Introduction to Krysto, the gunslinger hunter. The first installment in the series. No revives, must be 34 with gally to read.


**When the Light burns out**

" **4 boogies on my tail C, I'm engaging."** said Krysto into the telecommunication device inside his helmet. The lone hunter was running through the rubbles of a demolished building in the Cosmodrome. A group of 4 dreg followed behind in pursuit.

He abruptly stopped in his tracks and pivoted on his toes, in a swift motion; right hand reached for one of the throwing knifes neatly holstered on his right thigh. His hand cocked back and then sprung forward as it launched the knife. The 8 inch knife made of reinforced steel flew through the air silently and lodged itself into the throat of the leading dreg which halted its advance as it reached for the knife, but it was already too late. Blood spurted from the wound and covered his torso; he fell to his knees and flopped onto the floor where he died in a pool of blood.

" **You bastards don't give up, do you?"** said Krysto as he postured up against three enemies that surrounded him.

He spun around and delivered a kick to the stomach of the first attacking dreg which bent over in pain. He grabbed the dreg's head and with a quick flick of the wrist broke its neck. He stepped back and kicked the dreg whose lifeless body fell to the ground. Two dregs were at his side, each charged in with a dagger aimed at the Hunter's head. In a split second, Krysto crouched down evading their attack and preformed a leg sweep on the attacker to his left which shortly made his way to the ground. He then spun on the ground to switch his focus to the other dreg. Krysto pushed off his feet and delivered a devastating uppercut to the dreg, the force of the uppercut lifted the dreg off its feet at which point the hunter spun around and kicked the dreg in the stomach sending it crashing into the concrete wall behind it. The first dreg made an attempt to stand up, only to be kneed in the face and tossed face first into a concrete wall. The hunter stood over the defeated enemies and dusted his armor.

" **Cayde-6, making my way to the extraction point. Over."**

" **Copy Krysto, Extraction team's ETA is 5 minutes. Cayde-6 over."**

50 yards away from him, a concrete wall was blown to pieces, a dozen or so dreg rushed in; followed by their Captain.

" _ **Split into Three Four man Cells and capture him!"**_ growled and roared the Captain known as Zygore.

Krysto took this chance to un-holster his Fatebringer. His eyes centered the dreg's head on the iron sights and then fired. The first enemy exploded as the bullet hit him directly between the eyes. He gracefully swayed his hand to the right and aimed at the second dreg. The recoil was low as the bullet fired and caused the second dreg's head to explode. He saw a dozen shock bullets fly at him, so he ducked down and rolled sideways for cover. He'd been in such situations before, surrounded by enemies. Being a resourceful man, he took off his cloak and placed it peeking out over the wall with a rigged trip mine. He crawled away from it and used some rubble as cover to make his escape.

As the enemy circled around the cloak, one brave dreg pistol whipped the hood. The pistol made a clank noise as it hit the trip mine before it exploded taking out 5 dregs. Arms, legs, heads and blood splattered around the walls and floor. The remaining dreg stood in awe and terror before Zygore snapped at them commanding them to follow the path leading through the disturbed debris.

He wasn't far from the extraction zone; Cayde-6 would be on the roof of an old warehouse waiting for him. He hopped over rubble, old rusted cars, broken pillars as he ran through the city of New Dallas. It was ironic to say the least, there wasn't anything new about it, not even a trace of what was once the greatest city on earth. It wasn't just New Dallas that suffered this apocalyptic fate. Planet Earth was the battlefield for the raging war between mankind and the Fallen. As if that were not enough, Guardians also had to deal with the constant threat of the invading Hive army.

~ _It wasn't easy recovering the ghosts of our fallen comrades. The enemy was a challenge, but seeing the corpses of our brothers was tougher than I expected_ ~

" **I better get to higher ground, wouldn't want to be surprised at ground level."**

With that, he leaped onto a stop light post then attempted to jump onto the roof of a two story building. His eyes were set on the predetermined landing spot and failed to see the giant fist aimed to his torso. The fist connected with a loud thump, and sent Krysto crashing into the light post he had just jumped from which bent it in half due to the force. The guardian shook it off then stood up and looked up.

On the roof stood Aksor, an Archon priest of the Fallen army. The priest towered over Krysto, easily being over a yard taller than the guardian and about twice as wide. He held a shrapnel launcher in its hands aimed at the guardian. Aksor let out a battle cry and fired off a couple of shots. Krysto rolled out of the way and unsheathed his Fatebringer and fired off a few shots aimed at the priest. Aksor raised his forearm to shield himself from the bullets, Krysto took this time to jump onto the bent stop light post and spring up into the roof. In mid air he was able to jump again pushing the shrapnel launcher away and upper cutting the unsuspecting beast right in its jaw. The hunter then spun around and kicked the Aksor in the abdomen causing him to stumble backwards. He was about to kick him again, but the priest blocked then sprung forward and stomped the ground sending a massive shockwave that sent Krysto backwards. Aksor charged forward and attempted to punch the hunter, who swiftly dodged it. The fist broke through the wall behind Krysto, who took this chance and fired off 6 rounds of his Fatebringer into the abdomen of his enemy who was barely even phased.

 _~6 rounds and he doesn't even flinch, this guy is a monster. I better switch to something a bit more powerful~_

Krysto was surprised when Aksor's second set of arms slammed against him, knocking Fatebringer out of his hands. These lower set of arms had been disguised as part of his chest plate. The arms pinned him against the wall and Aksor's fist followed; hitting him directly in the chest and another fist pummeling his helmet through the wall. Krysto's body fell backwards into the hole, but the beast grabbed his feet and pulled him out, only to fling him across the roof. The hunter's body hit the ground and rolled a few times before coming to a halt. Krysto slowly got back up; meanwhile Aksor began charging towards him. The hunter took out two throwing knifes and threw them directly aimed at Aksor's head who easily blocked them. Krysto took this second to switch out his Fatebringer for a Secret Handshake. A shotgun feared for its incredible stopping power. Aksor resumed his charge; He was two steps away from the hunter when the shotgun materialized in the hunter's hands. Without a second to spare, Krysto fired off a round blasting the priest right in the chest. He fired again, this time the Priest's chest armor broke causing the beast to snarl.

" **That one stung eh?. How about another round, this one is on me."**

As he pulled the trigger a third time Aksor raised up his forearms to block the majority of the damage. The impact was so hard that it broke the priest's forearm plates. With his second set of arms he grabbed a hold of the barrel and yanked the shotgun away from the hunter. Its upper set of arms grabbed both of the hunter's wrists and spread them apart raising the hunter off the ground. Aksor bashed Krysto's helmet with the stock of the Secret Handshake, his head sprung back and forth before he repeated the strike. The force was tremendous as it caused the helmet visor to dent inwards and crack down the middle towards the right.

" **Hey C, why don't you *the sound of glass shattering can be heard over the telecommunication device* circle around once more. I've ran into some –"**

The connection was severed as Aksor had fired the shotgun at point blank range directly aimed at Krysto's chest. His chest plate was blasted into pieces and his left bicep had a few puncture wounds from some of the pellets. Blood ran down his arm and dripped onto the floor, along with pieces of his chest armor.

" **Kyrsto come in! Krysto what the hell was that?! Do you copy guardian?"**

Cayde-6's words were barely understandable. The telecommunication device had been severed and was causing the line to break. Krysto's chest was now exposed as Aksor had ripped the under layer of protection he wore under his plate. The priest cocked his lower arm back and attempted to punch the hunter in the stomach, but was unable to do so as Krysto raised his knee to parry the punch.

" **GRAWWWWWLLLHHH! You will perish before my might! Puny hunter."**

Aksor held Krysto by the neck with his left hand, and used his lower set of arms to hold his feet. The monster's right fist crashed heavily into Krysto's helmet scoring a direct hit. The Hunter's helmet was bashed inwards. The damage caused by the stock of the Secret Handshake followed by Aksor's giant fist had been too much. The helmet's right side had a gaping hole, Krysto's golden yellow eyes stared at Aksor. His left eye through the visor, and his right eye clearly visible due to the hole in his helmet.

His fair skin being caressed by the warm sun rays. His golden eyes had made for an interesting combination with his dark black side part spiky hair and a jaw line coated with a light stubble beard. For a man his age, he'd always looked rather young.

Aksor tossed Krysto up in the air and raised both fists curling them in the process. As the hunter's body came down, he slammed both his fists against him sending Krysto crashing hard against the wall which easily shattered by the force of the impact. Krysto was faced down and dazed in a pile of rubble.

" **Give me the Ghost data and I promise you a quick death."**

Aksor slowly walked across the roof towards the guardian.

 _~"Archon Priest's._

 _Ranked: Elite._

 _Affiliation: Fallen Army._

 _Abilities: Shockwave and Teleportation._

 _Weapon: Shrapnel Launcher._

 _Tactic: It is highly advised to retreat if facing an Archon priest, there have been three instances in which an Archon priest has been defeated. All three instances involved a squad of three highly experienced guardians. They have plated chest armor and forearm plates which can reduce the amount of damage inflicted on them. It is not advised to engage an Archon priest as doing so has a high mortality rate."~_

Krysto remembered the short lesson in the Academy that covered Archon Priests. He figured eventually down the line, he'd be facing off against such feared opponents, but to face a Priest on his first field mission was something he'd never thought about.

The battle worn hunter was slow to pick himself up but he managed to do so. The debris of the crushed wall fell from his shoulders and body as he stood up from the ground. His body wore the injuries of battle, his helmet now wore a wider hole as it left part of his jet black hair uncovered. With his golden pupil he looked over at Aksor.

" **You're never getting your hands on that data. My comrades died protecting it, I will not let their deaths be in vain"**

The hunter's breaths were deep; he was tiring from battle as he had suffered heavy damage. Aksor let out a smug chuckle.

" **You can barely stand, -chuckle- at least you lasted longer than your weaker allies. Killing them all was not as fun as toying with you."**

A burning red aura covered the hunter's body. His eyes were glowing white as his right hand reached high up towards the sky. A revolver with a color matching that of the sun materialized in his palm. With a firm grasp he lowered it and aimed it towards Askor.

" **Scums like you have no place on this Earth! Now witness my wrath!"**

Krysto's voice had a distorted echo. He fired off the first round, the bullet left a trail of the fiery aura as it pierced the Archon priest's ribs. He fired off the second round, when fired; the gun sounded as if it were being shot underwater. The second round lodged itself in the chest of Askor making the beast growl in pain. The third bullet popped into the chamber, as the hammer struck it flew out of the barrel leaving behind a small stream of smoke, it sizzled and whizzed through the air before penetrating Askor's left lung. The bullet pierced clean through the priest's body dropping him to his knees. The aura that had engulfed the hunter was now gone, and he too fell on his knees.

Askor was bleeding profusely from all three impact points. His blue thick blood ran down his chest and dripped onto the floor. He let out a roar and stood up using his arms to prop himself up. He walked over to a rusted signal receptor and broke it in half creating a makeshift spear. Meanwhile, Krysto managed to get himself up. He was breathing heavily due to the great exhaustion caused by his golden gun. After the third shot, the gun had dissipated into thin air. He stumbled forward, his left arm literally dangling as he stepped. He noticed his Fatebringer under some rubble which he quickly picked up and stealthily re-holstered. The hunter stood across from the giant Archon priest. His hands went up to his neck and he unhinged the latches around his neck that held the helmet in place. As the helmet hit the floor, it shattered into dozens of pieces. His upper body was bare, all he wore now were his worn out platelegs and boots.

" **You die now hunter. Say hello to your friends for me."**

Askor charged forward with the makeshift spear in hand. He left behind a trail of blood as he ran towards the hunter. Krysto held his ground. He knew he didn't have any energy to continue the battle. His mind had been made and he'd live out his last minutes without shame. Askor used both hands to lunge his spear towards Krysto, the entry point was in his abdomen. With his great strength Askor lifted Krysto off his feet and high up into the air. The hunter coughed up blood, but not once did he squirm in pain.

" **Don't feel too lonely you bastard. I'll make sure your friends join you in hell."**

Krysto swiftly pulled out his fatebringer now fully loaded. He pressed the barrel right up to Aksor's left eye and fired off every single round in the revolver. Each bullet bounced around inside the Priest's heavy plated helmet, tearing apart his skull and brain from the inside. The last bullet fired caused Askor's head to explode. Its body went limp, dropping Krysto to the roof's floor. The Archon's body fell to its knees then plopped onto the floor, blood dripping from what remained of its head.

Krysto remained sideways on the floor. He held the rusted spear tightly and began pulling it with his hands. He clenched his jaw tight with each pull as the pain grew stronger. He finally managed to pull it out, from the wound came a spurt of blood and a relieved sigh. He rolled over to rest on his back. The overcast caused by the sun setting. His body was completely worn and his lung had been punctured by the rusted antenna spear. Breathing had become an ordeal, each breath he inhaled less and less oxygen. He reached into his pocket and took out the ghost memory fragments he had been assigned to retrieve.

 **~C, I really hope you find me in time.~**

The hunter closed his eyes, never to open them again. Rubble began flying off the roof, as the transport ship made its descend. Before it could, a rocket blasted into the side of it. Cayde-6 had to maneuver quickly so that the ship evaded the second rocket. A guardian quickly jumped down onto the roof as two others laid down suppressive fire from the opened cargo bay of the ship.

" **Do not let them live! Bring that ship down!"** shouted Captain Zygore.

His squadron had finally managed to track the hunter. Dregs and Vandals jumped onto the roof to shoot at both the ship and the guardian that had jumped down. The guardians picked off dregs and vandals alike as the guardian searched Krysto's body.

" **Cayde, there's a dead Archon here.. this guy killed a fucking Archon."**

" **Find the ghost fragments, we can't let them fall into the Fallen's hands."**

The inspecting guardian noticed Krysto's clenched fist. After having to pry it open, he grabbed the fragments and secured them in his pouch.

 _~He doesn't deserve this.. I can't leave him here~_

The guardian picked Krysto up and tossed him over his shoulder. He activated the thrusters on his back and began his ascend towards the cargo door. He was just inches away when Sniping Vandal shot one of his thrusters down. The guardians in the ship managed to grab Krysto but missed the other guardian who plummeted to the ground.

The ship was taking heavy fire, Vandals, Dregs, and Zygore continued to fire non-stop. They witnessed as Zygore tore apart the guardian who had fallen. Mercilessly slamming him against a concrete wall, the guardian could be heard grunting as his armor was crushed blow after blow. They were forced to retreat having suffered two casualties in what was supposed to be a routine run.

" **This is the one you say, the one who brought down an Archon?"**

A figure wearing a white robe along with a white mask stood over Krysto. His fingers intertwined as they rested on his abdomen.

" **Yes sire, we found him and the Archon dead on the scene. He had been sent to recover valuable ghost fragments from the enemy."**

Cayde-6 stood opposite of the White robed figure. His hands were behind.

" **His ghost will one day find him. It would be wise to preserve him, we will need him when the time comes."**

The White masked figure walked out of the chamber followed by Cayde-6. The door shut behind them leaving Krysto in the darkness.


End file.
